Manor Parish Posada (UPDATED!)
What is POSADA?
Posada is an old Mexican tradition where young people dressed as Mary and Joseph travelled from house to house asking for a room for the night and telling people about the imminent arrival of Jesus in the weeks leading up to Christmas. On Christmas Eve they would visit the local church to re-enact the nativity and place figures of Mary and Joseph in a crib.
Posada is Spanish for "lodging", or "accommodation and traditionally the Mexican festival would last for nine days representing the nine months of pregnancy, specifically the pregnancy of Mary carrying Jesus.
In the UK a more recent tradition is to send out the figures of Mary and Joseph on an Advent journey around a parish leading up to Christmas. The figures travel from home to home staying overnight before moving onwards in their journey. Whilst the figures are in your home, it is an opportunity to pray with them, quietly reflect on the wonder of that first Christmas or simply to have them as a quiet presence as you go about your life.
The first home to host the figures is that of Ann Holmes:
Then after a couple of nights visiting other members of the parish, they went to the home of Sue Williams and Ellie Sanders on 4th December.
The next night was spent with Annette and Bernard Matam and their family.
Most recently the figures have visited our curate, Reverend Karen Colley.
Then they left Karen's house (by more modern means than the original Mary and Joseph may have!) and went to spend the night with Annie Thistlethwaite.
Then it was onto the home of our Pioneer Minister in Training, Steve Chapman, where the figures were part of an Angry Birds nativity!
Next up was the Wagner house, where they were made very welcome.
The figures have also been welcomed into the houses of some of the younger members of our congregation:
Justin Nosakhare Natalie Dalpra Selina Digman
Ricardo and Victoria Leotta
Lastly, the figures relaxed before the big day with Vinnie and Aidan Nicholls-Lee.
And here are some more pictures of the figures with the Matam children.
